Just Chillin'

Now that I've had a few non-school days under my belt, the Holiday Break Chill Out is setting in. We're blessed to be in our cozy house, the woodstove cranked up and curry simmering on the stove. If it sounds like I'm trying to make everything as hot as can be, yep, you couldn't be more right.

Friday afternoon, I'd picked up Kiddo from school and--in a rather optimistic mood, I should add-- we took the bus and MAX up to the zoo. When Mama's got a plan, she's not as quick to wise up as she should be, because when we got up there, it was cold. I wish there was a font that actually shivers, so I could accurately express how cold it was. Arctic Blast cold. Even with Kiddo in his fleece suit and a lined wind-breaking jacket, it was just too much for both of us. I'm actually pretty phobic about being cold...there's nothing that hurts more and I absolutely hate it. But I was also trying to get past myself, so after the warm break of the restrooms, I decided we'd fortify ourselves with fries in the restaurant before venturing further.

Once we went wandering in, Kiddo spied one of his favorite sights: the blowhole by the tidal pools. Want to see Mama move fast? Watch her yanking Kiddo away from the spray before it descended on his little head. This act of mercy was lost on him. "Want it to spray on me," he told me, Party-Pooper Mama. "Oh, look at the lights!" I countered, with a quick Distract and Redirect. We moseyed down to see the primates, Kiddo stopping to peer into each outdoor exhibit. It took all my parental propriety not to tell him there was no chance that any orangutan was going to freeze his monkey ass outside in this weather, which obviously made them smarter than we were.

Let's fast forward: after stopping at two restrooms primarily to warm up, gawking at some of the Zoo Lights (which were pretty awesome, hafta admit it) we decided to do an about-face and head back downtown to meet Joe at his office and catch a ride home.

Somehow, between Friday and today, I don't think I really ever chased the chill from my bones. The weekend brought our Letter to Santa ritual and a Christmas Tree came into our lives, via the Montavilla Co-op lot. Cold activities, both. Even the Jet Li movie we watched that night (oh gosh! love those fight sequences!) couldn't warm me up. Monday night I met with my mentors over a cold beer followed by a hot toddy, and discussed a decision that will be changing my family's lives in the next year. Still.Cold.

So that brings us to today. The first day I really felt not-cold. The living room is balmy like the South Seas, a lovely 81 degrees. Move away from the woodstove, though, to the kitchen where I sit, and it's more like 75 or so. Still, finally, not hurting and shivering inside, invisibly. Instead, I'm awaiting some veggies and tofu simmered up spicy, and looking forward to Joe coming  home with a dozen and a half of his coworkers fresh-laid organic eggs, so I can make Kiddo a little scramble, because his palate doesn't yet include the really good, spicy stuff. It'll be fun if he one day likes all my favorite hot foods: kim chi, tapatio sauce, pickled golden hungarian peppers, but for now, he can eat what he really likes.

I'm just happy to be warm.

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